Trollbusters: This algorithm can predict if you're going to get banned

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><div xmlns='http://bit.ly/16Db7GR'><img alt="Trollbusters: This algorithm can predict if you're going to get banned" src="http://ift.tt/1uCaSlO"/><br/><br /><p>The way commenters write can be used to detect if they'll end up getting banned, according to US researchers working on troll-busting algorithms.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>A team from Cornell and Stanford Universities scanned the comment threads on three news sites - CNN, Breitbart and IGN - over the course of a year and a half. That totalled up to 35 million comments, sent by almost two million users. 50,000 of those users went on to be banned from the sites.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>The researchers found that those banned users wrote in a different way to others. Their comments were generally harder to read and used fewer words that indicated positive emotion. They also behaved slightly differently in how they moved around the site - spending more time focused in individual threads than users who weren't banned.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>From that data, the researchers built a model that could guess with 80% accuracy whether or not a user would go on to be banned from the content of their first five posts. Examining the first ten comments raised the accuracy level further - by two percentage points.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>The team hopes that the work can be used to develop moderation tools that automatically highlight users that may go on to be disruptive, saving moderators time. But they also warned that their findings showed overly harsh moderation tended to exacerbate antisocial behaviour, and that a light touch was more effective than throwing out the banhammer.</p><br /><br/><br /><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ift.tt/1DSAz8z" width="1"/><br clear='all'/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1zsrC0j" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1DSAAZV"/> </a><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1zsrC0l" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1DSAAZZ"/> </a><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1zsrCgB" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1DSAzoT"/> </a><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1zsrCgD"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1zsrAW5"/> </a> <img border="0" height="1" src="http://ift.tt/1DSAB05" width="1"/><img alt="" height="1" src="http://ift.tt/1zsrAW7" width="1"/><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br />From <a href="http://ift.tt/yaGhNV">techradar</a> </div><br /><br/><br /><br/><br />from http://bit.ly/1OpSXHf<br/></div>

Trollbusters: This algorithm can predict if you're going to get banned

The way commenters write can be used to detect if they'll end up getting banned, according to US researchers working on troll-busting al...

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An end to Fauxlex and Kalvin Clein? China's Alibaba says it's fighting fakes

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><div xmlns='http://bit.ly/16Db7GR'><img alt="An end to Fauxlex and Kalvin Clein? China's Alibaba says it's fighting fakes" src="http://ift.tt/1yqdj1q"/><br/><br /><p>Alibaba, the world's biggest online market, has insisted that it is doing its best to stop the sale of fake goods, as the Chinese super brand battles to broaden its reach across the globe.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>Alibaba and its platforms have long been labelled as a hub for fake merchandise, but are looking to break out from this reputation.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>After their efforts were rewarded by its Taobao arm being removed from the U.S. Trade Office's 'notorious markets' blacklist, further complaints have arrived.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>The latest, which comes from the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), may just have sparked some major changes, with the site insisting that it has a range of measure to restrict the dodgy dealers.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>So, get ready to kiss goodbye to your Kalvin Kleins and your Channel Number 5 aftershave, the real brands are fighting back.</p><br /><br/><br /><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ift.tt/1yqdlX7" width="1"/><br clear='all'/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1yqdj1s" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1yqdoC0"/> </a><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1JG3L3d" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1yqdoC2"/> </a><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1JG3L3f" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1yqdlX9"/> </a><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1JG3InW"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1yqdmdn"/> </a> <img border="0" height="1" src="http://ift.tt/1JG3L3h" width="1"/><img alt="" height="1" src="http://ift.tt/1yqdmdp" width="1"/><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br />From <a href="http://ift.tt/yaGhNV">techradar</a> </div><br /><br/><br /><br/><br />from http://bit.ly/1aqgb2H<br/></div>

An end to Fauxlex and Kalvin Clein? China's Alibaba says it's fighting fakes

Alibaba, the world's biggest online market, has insisted that it is doing its best to stop the sale of fake goods, as the Chinese super ...

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Review: Seagate Backup Plus 8TB Desktop Drive

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><div xmlns='http://bit.ly/16Db7GR'><img alt="Review: Seagate Backup Plus 8TB Desktop Drive" src="http://ift.tt/1aNs0jI"/><br/><br /><h3>Introduction and performance</h3><br /><br/><br /><p>This is the first 8TB hard disk drive we've received at TechRadar and the biggest external (single-drive) hard disk currently on the market. This particular model – the Seagate Backup Plus – was announced earlier this year but uses an enterprise-grade drive which was unveiled back in <a href="http://ift.tt/1p6TX5F">August 2014</a>.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>You could probably cram about 1500 DVDs in 8TB or the content of 160 Blu-ray discs, or the equivalent of almost six million 3.5-inch, 1.44MB floppy disks (remember those?).</p><br /><br/><br /><p>Seagate's mammoth drive, otherwise known as the STDT8000200 in the UK and STDT8000100 in the US, is so new that it hasn't appeared on the company's own website yet. It sells for around the £250 mark (around $365, AU$485).</p><br /><br/><br /><p><img alt="Seagate Backup Plus 8TB Desktop Drive side" src="http://ift.tt/1FJYgln" title="Shingled Magnetic Recording gives this drive its capacity" width="420"/> </p><br /><br/><br /><h3>SMR magic</h3><br /><br/><br /><p>So how exactly did we get there? This storage capacity was achieved by making use of a new technology called SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording) which allows the cramming of more bits on a given surface by using a similar technique to what roofers do with roof tiles.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>Drives that use SMR have one flaw – they do not perform well when it comes to sustained, random writes. They do however excel when it comes to sustained read speeds and burst write speeds. Potential purchasers will need to bear that in mind or they might otherwise be sorely disappointed.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>As one <a href="http://ift.tt/1bAXsCv">Seagate spokesperson</a> put it to us recently when talking about SMR, the drive is ideally suited for backup and archiving, akin to an LTO tape and, as he remarked, "you don't do random writes on tapes". So the ideal scenario would be that of a WORM (write once, read many) replacement, where writes are rare but reads are plenty.</p><br /><br/><br /><p><img alt="Seagate Backup Plus 8TB Desktop Drive under" src="http://ift.tt/1FJYglt" title="There are ventilation holes all over the shop" width="420"/> </p><br /><br/><br /><h3>Design</h3><br /><br/><br /><p>The Seagate Backup Plus looks like a brick, a black one with a mirror top (very prone to fingerprints and dust). Each of the sides (bar the top and the front) have between four and six triangles with dozens of small holes to improve ventilation.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>While that sounds bleeding-edge or even avant-garde, I didn't warm to the design simply because the corners are bloody sharp (pun intended). Be careful as this casing can draw blood from you; it did for me and at least one other reviewer.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>Other than that, there's a micro-USB 3.0 port and a power supply port, a standard 12v 1.5A model. A status light on the top facia will let you know when the drive is in operation. Note that there is no on/off switch which means that you have to unplug the power supply or switch off at the mains to power down the drive completely. You also get a 1.2m USB 3.0 cable which is longer than what we're used to.</p><br /><br/><br /><p><img alt="Seagate Backup Plus 8TB Desktop Drive profile" src="http://ift.tt/1aNs03m" title="The design won't be to everyone's tastes" width="420"/> </p><br /><br/><br /><h3>Under the hood</h3><br /><br/><br /><p>Inside the Backup Plus is an 8TB drive from Seagate's Archive HDD family, which intriguingly belongs to the company's enterprise portfolio. You'd expect to use these mostly in data centres, for cold storage and in so-called hyperscale scenarios, not in a prosumer/consumer product.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>The drive, which we believe to be the ST8000AS0002, comes with 128MB of cache, about four times the amount of large capacity hard drives. That's mostly due to the SMR technology which requires the drive to handle data transactions on-board, a process Seagate calls "drive managed" and is facilitated by this larger buffer cache.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>There are six 1.33TB platters, possibly spinning at 5900RPM, with 12 heads, and a rated workload rate limit of 180TB per year (that's essentially erasing and rewriting the drive 20 odd times over – note that the Backup Plus only comes with a two-year warranty though).</p><br /><br/><br /><p><img alt="Seagate Backup Plus 8TB Desktop Drive close up" src="http://ift.tt/1aNs17n" title="The drive features six 1.33TB platters" width="420"/> </p><br /><br/><br /><p>The drive can be used 24 hours a day and sips power when in standby mode (less than 1W) and even in operating mode, consumes just 7.5W. Note that these figures are for the internal drive (Seagate hasn't provided the figures for the Backup Plus). You will need to add a couple of Watts for the actual power consumption but it is fair to say that leaving it connected 24x7 wouldn't be a bad idea given that it is essentially built for doing just that.</p><br /><br/><br /><h3>Performance</h3><br /><br/><br /><p>The Seagate Backup Plus 8TB is probably one of the fastest external hard disk drives we've tested. Sure, put a 1TB SSD in an external enclosure and you'd end up with something faster – but compared to other traditional platter-based hard disk drives with a low RPM, it is a stunner. It reached a staggering 124MBps in sequential read, and a jaw-dropping 195MBps in sequential write; both figures were obtained via the popular storage benchmark, CrystalDiskMark 3.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>Oddly, Futuremark's PC Mark 8 wouldn't run on the drive and would consistently crash. Futuremark told us, that in theory, there shouldn't be any issues associated with SMR. We will continue to investigate and shall update the review if we manage to get to the bottom of this problem.</p><br /><br/><br /><p><img alt="Seagate Backup Plus 8TB Desktop Drive ports" src="http://ift.tt/1aNs17p" title="The power and micro-USB 3.0 ports" width="420"/> </p><br /><br/><br /><p>The device also comes with Seagate's own optional Dashboard application which allows you to automatically back up your smartphone's content to the drive (via a free app) as well as your social media (from Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Tumblr) and even cloud-based content (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive).</p><br /><br/><br /><p>It proposes two backup options, one scheduled and one for continuous backup. Value-added applications tend to be very basic and Seagate's own Dashboard is no exception – it provides the bare minimum allowing the user to choose more complex solutions, should they want to do so.</p><br /><br/><br /><h3>Verdict</h3><br /><br/><br /><p>This drive has no competition if you are looking to buy the biggest single drive on the market. Sure, it probably costs less to buy two external 4TB hard disk drives (currently about £90 each, around $130, or AU$175) but it will just make things more convoluted and less elegant.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>As it stands, I don't see anyone (Toshiba or WD) competing with Seagate yet. WD consumer storage solutions max out at 6TB and Toshiba at 5TB, and neither have yet to commit to deliver anything close to 8TB. The lack of competition might actually encourage Seagate to push up the price of the device.</p><br /><br/><br /><h3>We liked</h3><br /><br/><br /><p>Other than the SMR-related weakness on random writes, the Seagate Backup Plus performed admirably on our tests, achieving some remarkable numbers while keeping the price per TB fairly low for what is a very new product. In operation, it was quiet and didn't sip a lot more power compared to lesser-capacity drives.</p><br /><br/><br /><h3>We disliked</h3><br /><br/><br /><p>The design could have been a bit less aggressive – as always, this is a subjective matter and others might appreciate the clear cut, clean lines of the drive.</p><br /><br/><br /><h3>Final verdict</h3><br /><br/><br /><p>If you can live with the random write issue, then the Seagate Backup Plus 8TB Desktop Drive will probably be a safe investment for a long time. Its Dashboard application is basic but does the job and is intuitive. Overall, the device is a very enticing proposition.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>I would however advise caution when it comes to storing everything on such a big drive. Losing 8TB of data will be life changing so do think about backing up. Plan for it and do it – don't procrastinate.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>This Seagate Backup Plus 8TB review sample was provided by <a href="http://ift.tt/1FJYglz" rel="nofollow">Ebuyer</a> where it costs £262 currently (around $380, AU$500). You can however get it for less elsewhere.</p><br /><br/><br /><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ift.tt/1yqdlWW" width="1"/><br clear='all'/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1JG3HQW" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1yqdlWY"/> </a><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1yqdlX0" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1JG3Kwf"/> </a><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1yqdj1f" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1yqdj1h"/> </a><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1JG3KMw"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1JG3HR5"/> </a> <img border="0" height="1" src="http://ift.tt/1JG3HR9" width="1"/><img alt="" height="1" src="http://ift.tt/1yqdj1l" width="1"/><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br />From <a href="http://ift.tt/yaGhNV">techradar</a> </div><br /><br/><br /><br/><br />from http://bit.ly/1crD1IG<br/></div>

Review: Seagate Backup Plus 8TB Desktop Drive

Introduction and performance This is the first 8TB hard disk drive we've received at TechRadar and the biggest external (single-drive) h...

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Samsung not tiring of Android rival as Z2 rumours spread

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><div xmlns='http://bit.ly/16Db7GR'><img alt="Samsung not tiring of Android rival as Z2 rumours spread" src="http://ift.tt/1zV9m2x"/><br/><br /><p>Samsung finally released its first Tizen running smartphone, <a href="http://ift.tt/1CumxtE">the Z1</a>, at the beginning of this year and the handset has taken off in certain markets including India and Bangladesh.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>Rumours are already hotting up for the release of the Samsung Z2 with various sources claiming the new phone will be released in first half 2015.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>According to <a href="http://ift.tt/1crrWrd">TizenCafe.net</a>, a source that should be taken with a big dollop of salt, the phone will have a 540 x 960 PLS TFT- LCD display but the size is yet to be confirmed.</p><br /><br/><br /><h3>Stop, Tizen time</h3><br /><br/><br /><p>The source also claims it'll have 1GB of RAM, a 2000mAh battery and an undisclosed 32-bit quad-core processor.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>The most interesting part of the handset is Samsung continuing with its journey into Tizen and rumours of the Tizen 3.0 UI coming in with design similarities to the Samsung TV UI.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>Rumours also suggest Samsung is working on a more high-end Tizen smartphone for the rest of the world as well including the US and EU but little is known about the handset so far.</p><br /><br/><br /><ul><br /><li style='list-style: none'><br/> </li><br /><li>Here's our <a href="http://ift.tt/1fXFxXi">full look at Tizen</a>.</li><br /><li style='list-style: none'><br/> </li><br /></ul><br /><br/><br /><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ift.tt/1JG3H3l" width="1"/><br clear='all'/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1yqdlGy" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1JG3H3p"/> </a><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1yqdlGA" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1yqdiKN"/> </a><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1JG3H3z" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1yqdlGC"/> </a><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1JG3HjP"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1yqdiKQ"/> </a> <img border="0" height="1" src="http://ift.tt/1JG3HjT" width="1"/><img alt="" height="1" src="http://ift.tt/1yqdiKT" width="1"/><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br />From <a href="http://ift.tt/yaGhNV">techradar</a> </div><br /><br/><br /><br/><br />from http://bit.ly/1aqgdY4<br/></div>

Samsung not tiring of Android rival as Z2 rumours spread

Samsung finally released its first Tizen running smartphone, the Z1 , at the beginning of this year and the handset has taken off in certain...

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If this really is the Xperia Z4, we're disappointed

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><div xmlns='http://bit.ly/16Db7GR'><img alt="If this really is the Xperia Z4, we're disappointed" src="http://ift.tt/1adHixQ"/><br/><br /><p>Excitement has been growing for Sony's upcoming flagship smartphone, the <a href="http://ift.tt/1w0VPCi">Xperia Z4</a>, however a new image has leaked onto the internet that claims to show what the Z4 will look like; and if it's real we can't help buy feel our excitement deflate a tad.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>The photo comes from the <a href="http://ift.tt/1aOjp0T">Sony Georgia</a> Facebook page and claims to be a real image that will be sent to the press. We're going to be taking a big pinch of salt with this, as there are a number of things that make us think (or hope) that this isn't what the final Xperia Z4 will look like.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>It's not that the device pictured is ugly, but it's just so uninspired. The photo shows that Sony's rectangular omni-balance design that we've seen many times in previous Xperia devices has been retained – but that's part of the problem.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>This image could be of almost any previous Xperia device and you wouldn't really notice.</p><br /><br/><br /><h3>Not so sweet design</h3><br /><br/><br /><p><img alt="Sony Xperia Z4" class="lft" src="http://ift.tt/1IyHGWp" width="300"/>Another detail that has got us doubting the authenticity of this image is that the screen is displaying what looks like <a href="http://ift.tt/1cjltXu">Android 4.4 KitKat</a> running Sony's custom interface. We find it hard to belive that any company would release its flagship smartphone in 2015 without the latest version of Google's mobile OS, <a href="http://ift.tt/1sh4T3i">Android 5.0 Lollipop</a>.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>The rather boring design and older version of Android means we can't shake the feeling that we're looking at a mid-range smarphone here, rather than a top-of-the-range flagship model.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>It's no secret that Sony's mobile division is in trouble, so it needs to release a flagship Xperia Z4 that really wows us and puts the competition to shame.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>We reached out to Sony for comment on the authenticity of the image, but were told that "we do not comment on rumour or speculation".</p><br /><br/><br /><p>If this really is what Sony has planned for the Z4, we're not just disappointed. We're worried.</p><br /><br/><br /><ul><br /><li style='list-style: none'><br/> </li><br /><li><a href="http://ift.tt/1w0VPCi">Sony Xperia Z4 release date, news and rumors</a> </li><br /><li style='list-style: none'><br/> </li><br /></ul><br /><br/><br /><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ift.tt/1DOWtes" width="1"/><br clear='all'/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1HYwhMn" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1DOWteu"/> </a><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1HYwj6I" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1DOWtey"/> </a><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1HYwj6P" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1DOWteA"/> </a><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1HYwhMp"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1DOWteC"/> </a> <img border="0" height="1" src="http://ift.tt/1HYwj6T" width="1"/><img alt="" height="1" src="http://ift.tt/1DOWqzz" width="1"/><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/> </div><br /><br/><br /><br/><br />from http://bit.ly/1yinF3h<br/></div>

If this really is the Xperia Z4, we're disappointed

Excitement has been growing for Sony's upcoming flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z4 , however a new image has leaked onto the internet th...

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Review: LG UltraWide 34UC97

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><div xmlns='http://bit.ly/16Db7GR'><img alt="Review: LG UltraWide 34UC97" src="http://ift.tt/1DOS77d"/><br/><br /><h3>Introduction and specification</h3><br /><br/><br /><p>LG has been at the forefront when it comes to ultra-wide PC monitors, and it's easy to see why the company has attracted a fair amount of attention. This screen's 3,440 x 1,440 resolution means it's a tempting option for work or gaming, and the firm's latest panel ups the ante by adding a curve.</p><br /><br/><br /><h3>Design</h3><br /><br/><br /><p>It's a subtle change to existing ultra-wide panels, but the gentle arc of the screen is noticeable. It makes it easier to see items at either end of the wide screen, which can enhance work and play – we didn't have to squint or move our head to see documents or browser windows when working, or small HUD items during games.</p><br /><br/><br /><p><img alt="LG UltraWide 34UC97 curve" src="http://ift.tt/1IQc9My" title="The gentle curve of the screen is noticeable" width="420"/> </p><br /><br/><br /><p>The 34-inch diagonal and 3,440 x 1,440 resolution returns a density level of 110ppi. That's lower than the 163ppi and 145ppi you'll find on 27-inch and 30-inch 4K panels, and it's a double-edged sword – you won't get the sharpness and detail of a 4K screen but, conversely, you won't struggle to make out desktop features.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>The LG compares well with lesser resolutions, too. Monitors with a 1080p resolution and 22-inch or 24-inch 1080p diagonals have density levels of 100ppi and 92ppi respectively, so switching to the 34UC97 increases sharpness and eliminates bezels.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>It trades blows with its key rival. The <a href="http://ift.tt/1DOS9fs">Samsung SD590CS</a> is a cheaper curved panel than the LG, but its 27-inch diagonal is smaller and its 1,920 x 1,080 resolution is far less impressive.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>LG's screen looks the part. Its narrow, angled chrome-effect stand is smart and sturdy, and the screen is surrounded by a thin, dark bezel. The screen has an anti-glare layer, and there are no buttons on the front to disturb the 34UC97's clean lines.</p><br /><br/><br /><p><img alt="LG UltraWide 34UC97 stand" src="http://ift.tt/1DOS9fu" title="Attaching the stand is something of a task" width="420"/> </p><br /><br/><br /><p>Its sheer size does mean that it's not too easy to build, with numerous screws needed to secure the stand in place. It's got limited adjustment – 20 degrees of tilt, but that's it, with no height or side-to-side angle changes possible. All the ports face downwards, which makes access tricky, and they can be covered with a plastic shroud, which makes access harder but improves neatness.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>It's not exactly lightweight, either, at 18 pounds (8.2kg) – more than 5 pounds (2kg) weightier than the Samsung. The screws, ports and weight make the LG awkward to put together, but that's not a huge problem – after all, most users only go through the setup procedure once.</p><br /><br/><br /><p><img alt="LG UltraWide 34UC97 rear" src="http://ift.tt/1IQc7UI" title="This is something of a large and hefty monitor" width="420"/> </p><br /><br/><br /><h3>Specs</h3><br /><br/><br /><p>The curve isn't the only bit of sensible design. The LG's 21:9 aspect ratio matches films, so there's no need for irritating black bars above and below the image. The rear serves up a versatile port selection: two Thunderbolt ports promise to play nicely with Apple hardware, and there are two HDMI ports and a DisplayPort connector. It's got a pair of USB ports, an audio jack, and two 7W speakers.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>On the inside it shares the same panel as LG's non-curved 34UM95. It's an IPS screen with a W-LED backlight, which means that this screen should have great viewing angles and top-notch colour accuracy.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>A deeper dive into the specs reveals LG's professional aspirations. It's a 10-bit panel designed to display 99% of the sRGB colour gamut, and in our tests it's not far off, displaying 97.2% of the gamut with aplomb. It even comes with a sheet detailing LG's factory calibration, so you're able to see the subtle differences between review samples and the monitor you've bought yourself.</p><br /><br/><br /><h3>Interface and performance</h3><br /><br/><br /><h3>Interface</h3><br /><br/><br /><p>LG doesn't have any buttons on the front of this screen – instead, its menu is controlled with a small joystick that sits in the middle of the underside. It's an unusual bit of kit: tapping the stick opens the menu, and moving it in four directions navigates the various options.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>It's initially confusing, but soon becomes second-nature, and it's helped by the menu itself – the interface is large, taking up the entire right-hand side of the screen, and is sensibly laid out. The Samsung SD590CS has a sharper menu with more options, but the LG isn't far behind.</p><br /><br/><br /><p><img alt="LG UltraWide 34UC97 menu stick" src="http://ift.tt/1DOS77f" title="The stick used to navigate the monitor's menu" width="420"/> </p><br /><br/><br /><h3>Performance</h3><br /><br/><br /><p>We tested the LG with an X-Rite i1 Display Pro colorimeter, and the 34UC97 got off to a good start at factory settings. The measured brightness level of 232cd/m2 is ample, and it's bolstered by a black level of 0.21cd/m2 – another good result. Those figures combine for a contrast ratio of 1,104:1, which is good enough to ensure deep blacks, bright whites, and a wide gamut of different shades in between. Viewing angles are great, too – there's no distortion even when gazing at far-flung corners of the screen, or looking from odd angles.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>Colours are reasonably accurate as well. We measured the factory Delta E at 2.67, which is decent – anything below 2 is stonking, but that's usually the preserve of more expensive professional panels.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>LG augments its screen with several modes designed for different scenarios. They're a mixed bag: we'd use the Cinema and Photo modes for day-to-day work, as they both improve the colour accuracy and temperature without compromising contrast. The Reader mode tones down the brightness and colour accuracy, though, and Gaming mode isn't much better. The warm, medium and cool colour temperature options aren't much cop, either – they warp the screen to such a degree that we can't see them being useful in many scenarios.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>We got our best results by manually calibrating the panel with our Colorimeter. The Delta E improved to 1.02, and the colour temperature sat at a revised 6,569K – close to the 6,500K ideal figure. We achieved this level of performance by taking the screen's default green setting down five notches and raising the brightness by three notches.</p><br /><br/><br /><p><img alt="LG UltraWide 34UC97 front" src="http://ift.tt/1IQc9MA" title="This is a quality panel, make no mistake" width="420"/> </p><br /><br/><br /><p>The LG delivered accurate colours and good contrast across most of our tests, but the 34UC97 couldn't maintain good uniformity – an issue that's particularly prominent on widescreen panels. The LG's top edge lost an average of 9.6% of its brightness when compared to the middle of the screen, and the bottom edge lost 10.8%. That's not a great result, and you may notice a lack of depth in the corners during darker scenes in movies or games.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>We used a Leo Bodnar testing device to measure the LG's input lag. It's not a gaming screen, but the 34UC97's input lag sat at 16.6ms. That's excellent, and will only be beaten by dedicated gaming panels. It means the LG is good enough for gaming – only pro players will have the reflexes to notice any input lag.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>Our final tests evaluated the LG's audio kit. Its speakers have enough volume to fill an office or bedroom, and there's a surprising amount of bass. The dominant deep notes overshadow the mid-range, though, and affect the top-end just as badly.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>LG includes its MaxxAudio software to improve treble response, and it does make things better – but we'd still rather use external speakers.</p><br /><br/><br /><h3>Verdict</h3><br /><br/><br /><h3>We liked</h3><br /><br/><br /><p>The LG's capacious size and high resolution nail the balance between sharpness and screen space, with a density level that beats 1080p screens without resorting to the squinting needed on some larger 4K panels.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>The curved design works well, too, gently arcing the corners towards the user. Whether it's for gaming or work, that's a boon.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>It's a high quality unit overall. Colour accuracy is consistently good, and brightness and contrast are similarly decent – to get anything better you'll have to spend more on pro-level panels.</p><br /><br/><br /><h3>We disliked</h3><br /><br/><br /><p>The LG's size may make work and play better, but it means other screens are more versatile. The LG is heavy and takes a bit of effort to build, and there's limited scope for adjusting the panel's height and angle.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>Some of its screen modes aren't much cop, either, and uniformity is a little lacking – no surprise across such a large screen.</p><br /><br/><br /><p>And finally, there's the price. This screen may be curved and a good quality display, but priced at £730 (or $1,086 in the US, which is around AU$1,4200), it's a lot to pay to replace a more conventional panel or two.</p><br /><br/><br /><h3>Final verdict</h3><br /><br/><br /><p>The LG's curved design, high resolution and huge diagonal make it a high quality replacement for single 4K panels or a pair of 1080p screens, and the form factor means it's tempting for work, games and movies. Screen and build quality are both high, too, although the high price could be a stumbling block for many. Think hard before deciding that this screen is a better option than more conventional alternatives.</p><br /><br/><br /><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ift.tt/1HYwhvL" width="1"/><br clear='all'/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1HYwiQg" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1HYwhvO"/> </a><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1DOWsY5" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1HYwhvR"/> </a><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1DOWqzk" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1DOWsY9"/> </a><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/><br /><a href="http://ift.tt/1HYwiQi"><img border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1DOWqzo"/> </a> <img border="0" height="1" src="http://ift.tt/1HYwiQk" width="1"/><img alt="" height="1" src="http://ift.tt/1DOWsYd" width="1"/><br/><br /><br/><br /><br/> </div><br /><br/><br /><br/><br />from http://bit.ly/1CBLnTc<br/></div>

Review: LG UltraWide 34UC97

Introduction and specification LG has been at the forefront when it comes to ultra-wide PC monitors, and it's easy to see why the compan...

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